Mesut Ozil has revealed he has no plans to hang up his boots any time soon - expressing a desire to play in Turkey and the USA after he leaves Arsenal. He also highlighted Fenerbahce as his 'only' choice in the former.
Ozil has been frozen out of the picture at the Emirates and is yet to be named in a matchday squad this season. He hasn't been registered in Mikel Arteta's squads for the Premier League or the Europa League, and it is fast beginning to seem his only chance of playing football this season is to seal a move away this month.
Real Madrid era Ozil was a master technician! ?pic.twitter.com/4Rnbp6wTIM
— 90min (@90min_Football) December 28, 2020
Fenerbahce and MLS side DC United have been the two clubs most heavily linked, and while reports have conflicted over who is in the driving seat, 90min understands that he has already agreed on a deal to join the Turkish side on loan in January, ahead of a permanent deal in the summer.
That certainly feeds into a telling update he shared in a Twitter Q&A on Monday evening.
Ozil is never one to shy away from social media controversy, and admitted he has big plans to play in both MLS and Turkey before he hangs up his boots. He even named Fenerbahce as the 'only' team he could play for in the Super Lig.
I definitely will. There are two countries I want to play football in before I retire: Turkey ?? and USA ??. If I went to Turkey, I could only go to Fenerbahce. https://t.co/TL68kUL62M
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) January 11, 2021
"I definitely will," he said, when asked if he would continue to play football after leaving Arsenal. "There are two countries I want to play football in before I retire: Turkey and USA. If I went to Turkey, I could only go to Fenerbahce."
In an earlier tweet, Ozil also explained his childhood love of Fener, likening the club to Real Madrid.
He wrote: "I grew up as a Fenerbahce fan as a kid in Germany - every German-Turkish person supports a Turkish team when they grow up in Germany. And mine was Fenerbahce. Fenerbahce is like Real Madrid in Spain. The biggest club in the country."
I grew up as a @Fenerbahce fan as a kid in Germany - every German-Turkish person supports a Turkish team when they grow up in Germany. And mine was Fenerbahce. Fenerbahce is like Real Madrid in Spain. The biggest club in the country ?? https://t.co/Y3hEba79IO
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) January 11, 2021
90min understands that Ozil could spend the remainder of the season on loan with Fener, with the Gunners paying the entirety of his £350,000 per week salary until his contract in London expires in the summer. After that, he could join the Turkish side on a permanent basis.
It's understood he has already agreed on a pre-contract to that end, which might explain the direct nature of his tweet.
Source : 90min